Yellow Brick Road

 It would be so nice if there was an easier way to find the NGOs in downtown Greece.  We are grateful for Google Maps but sometimes they don't work for us.  This week we spent most days riding the metro into downtown Athens and walking around to find the addresses for our appointments.  We are learning to ask what metro stop they would suggest instead of Kim ( totally Kim) trying to navigate the map.  All those mornings walking the hills of Salt Lake City have paid off! 

Lots of hills to navigate

I have found it interesting that most steps are made of marble.  Cement steps are rare. 

I was so impressed with this young lady.  She is the coordinator for an NGO that we hope to partner with.  She started out in Lesvos for what she thought would be a short time and formed a running group.  There was a young refugee that struggled to talk or walk that decided to join the group.  She implied it was from trauma and then told us he ended up running a 10K and speaking was no longer a problem.    The sports organization classes are taught by refugees that have strengths in weight training, yoga, kickboxing, etc.  Every class is full after 4 p.m.  We saw many working out as we arrived in the morning. 

We were treated to dinner by a former Presbyterian minister that works for another NGO.  We were in the heart of downtown across from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  

Parliament building and Tomb of Unknown Soldier

We found a public Water Closet on the square.  Now that's a discovery! It had two women's stall.  Say What?! We enjoyed watching all the tourists from our view in the cafe. 

They brought a little dish of different olives.  I love olives but tried to be polite and not eat them all (4) myself.  No one else ate them and they were taken away.  So sad. 

This was the most delicious salad.  I filled up on it and couldn't eat much after that. 

Birdnest 

My dish was like a shredded wheat nest with chicken and sauce.  It was goodl 

Kim got kabobs.  The yogurt sauce is really nice. There is a big pepper in the middle. 

Steak and fries

Our host got a steak with red slaw.  He ate the whole thing.  It only took about an hour.  

There are a lot of statues.  This one is in the square where we ate.  It is a centaur taking away a woman.  It was hard to get the right angle because of the sun.  It was a good day.  We found the places we needed to and were very grateful for those that are trying to make a difference for the refugees that are in Greece. I just wish the metro was not so loud.  I might be deaf when I finish in two years. 😕